I think the bird I saw was a merlin (great name! and that day at the healing angel's soccer game there was a girl named Avalon--another great name). It's the right size and color. The nighthawk was also the right color, but it perches in a different manner and is too small.

Meanwhile, I heard on the news that Pale Male and Lola are back at their apartment building in Manhattan.

Here is a merlin. Seen from a distance at night, it looks smaller, though: